Eskute C100 E-Bike Review

As part of my ongoing journey into the world of side hustles, I’m testing out a series of budget e-bikes to see which is suitable for a delivery rider. The Eskute C100 is a city e-bike priced under £600 and offers a traditional step-through frame with a 360Wh battery and all the accessories you’ll need for the rigours of daily riding.

Eskute is a familiar brand in the UK and its range of direct-to-consumer electric bikes has become popular in recent years. I’ve tested several of their models over the years and been generally impressed with the value for money on offer. I’ve been using the C100 since the beginning of the year and have ridden it on several Stuart delivery shifts to see if it’s practical as a delivery bike. 

Assembly and First Impressions

The Eskute arrived boxed and partially assembled, requiring you to fit the front wheel, mudguard, kickstand, and handlebars—nothing too complicated. However, if you’re not confident in bike assembly, it’s worth getting help from someone who is, as proper tightening is essential for safe riding. The bike has a well-finished look, with deep gloss paintwork and a neatly integrated battery.

First Ride

For the first ride, I threw the C100 in at the deep end and took it out for a 2 hour food delivery shift. With the bag on my back and a fully-charged battery, I headed off into Plymouth. 

For me, riding the Eskute took some getting used to. It’s only available in one size and I’d say it was too small for my 6 foot frame. The saddle height could be adjusted to fit, but the swept-back handlebars placed my hands uncomfortably close to my knees, making the riding position feel awkward. However, I am at the upper height limit of what Eskute recommends for this bike and it should be fine for shorter riders. 

Regarding the electric assist, the rear hub motor surprised me and the pedal assist feels pleasantly refined for a cadence-based system. The power comes on smoothly once you start pedalling. Also, the motor isn’t particularly noisy like some budget e-bikes – there’s an audible whine from the motor but it’s never intrusive.

The handling does feel nervous – I put this down to the somewhat cramped riding position. If I were to keep this bike, I’d be fitting much wider, flatter handlebars and probably change the stem length to suit my height. Again, this is more of a sizing issue. 

The mechanical disc brakes functioned as expected. At lower speeds and on flat roads, the braking was acceptable. However, braking from higher speeds when riding downhill required considerable effort at times. For a recreational rider, this shouldn’t be an issue. But if you were using this bike for a delivery side hustle, I’d recommend upgrading to hydraulics. 

How does the Eskute C100 perform on hills? To be fair, it’s not too bad. I did struggle on some of the steeper Plymouth hills, but it always got me up them (albeit with considerable effort of my part). Most of the time, it was fine and considering my weight, it performed reasonably. On moderate climbs, the speed dropped considerably and the motor did feel strained at times, but I’ve had much lighter riders test this bike and they’ve all said the motor had enough power. 

After 2 hours of delivering, I felt that I’d had a pretty good workout. I wouldn’t say it was easy, but Plymouth is very hilly and I’m a big chap. If you’re smaller and lighter than me and are delivering in a flatter area, then I reckon it would be fine.

One more thing to consider is battery range. The Eskute only has a 360Wh battery, meaning your range is going to be limited. I managed 18 miles, and had one bar remaining on the battery indicator by the time I got back home. Bearing in mind, my weight and the terrain would have had a big impact on this. Again, a lighter rider, on less hilly terrain, should get closer to 30 miles from a charge. 

Specification

The alloy step-through frame has a deep gloss finish with internally routed cables, adding to its clean aesthetic. Throughout the testing period, it proved durable and didn’t pick up any noticeable battle scars.

The 250W rear hub motor performed well, with minimal noise, and handled most hills without fuss. The 360Wh battery delivered a range in line with my expectations—though, as is often the case, it fell short of the manufacturer’s claimed figures. The display is an LCD S866—functional and cheap to replace if needed.

The gearing is a basic Shimano Tourney 7-speed setup. It does the job but offers a limited gear range, and the shifting feels a bit clunky. It’s not particularly refined, but at this price point, that’s to be expected. The good news is that all these components are inexpensive and easy to replace if necessary.

Braking performance was acceptable for a bike in this price range. The mechanical brakes felt vague and required a fair amount of effort, particularly when descending hills. That said, under normal riding conditions, the typical buyer of this bike would likely find them adequate.

The front suspension absorbs smaller potholes and general road debris well enough. It’s a basic setup but functional, and at this price, there’s little to complain about.

No issues with the tyres or wheels—despite its stint as a shopping bike, I’ve yet to suffer a puncture, and the wheels are still running true.

The Eskute C100 comes equipped with all the accessories you’d expect from a city e-bike—mudguards, a pannier rack, front and rear lights, and a kickstand. Everything functioned as expected during testing, though I wouldn’t fully trust the kickstand, especially when parking on an incline.

Alternatives

If you’re looking for a similarly-priced alternative to the Eskute C100, the HillMiles MileCity 1 is worth considering. It also features a 250W rear hub motor, but with a higher capacity 468Wh battery—giving it a slightly longer range than the C100. On test rides, I managed closer to 30 miles on hilly terrain, meaning lighter riders in flatter areas could see nearly 40 miles. However, unlike the Eskute, it only has a basic LED display showing battery level and assist mode.

Conclusion 

The Eskute C100 has proven to be a good budget e-bike option, but is it suitable for delivery riding? The answer depends on where you’re working and how many miles you cover on a typical shift. If you just wanted something cheap to get you started, it’s worth considering, but you’d probably want to upgrade to something with a bigger battery and better brakes.  If, however, you’re simply after a cheap e-bike for commuting, running errands, or the occasional leisure ride, the C100 is a tough act to follow.